Let me tell you... I sure there had been drugs for my mother who was depressed and violent. Made for a miserable life for me. My aunt was also treated (barbarically) with electric shock treatments and both my sisters have been institutionalized for depression.
Anti-depressants saved my life!
God bless you. I hope you are doing well now. I am, too. Some people are ignorant of mental illness, but it is not right for them to judge what they know nothing about in such harsh terms.
I'm glad they helped you but it sounds like your family has a history of behavior problems. Sadly It becomes a cycle in some families. I'm glad antidepressants helped you. I still believe the best approach is to deal with the core problems in peoples lives. Antidepressants when used as a stop gap can be helpful but they should not be the solution. The goal should always be to get people to the point where they are strong enough to cope with their feelings and those things they for whatever reason can not change.